Bad Day
by 4750G
Summary: A bad day led to Mikan and Natsume taking a break from their relationship. Both thought the other would admit defeat by the end of the week, but the fight was lasting longer than they initially thought it would. Maybe a bit OOC. Includes an OC.
1. Chapter 1

_Disclaimer: I do not own Alice Academy._

**CHAPTER ONE**

Sakura Mikan and Hyuuga Natsume have been an item ever since they were in elementary school. Back then, they were fighting almost every day and they would be furious to anyone who insinuated that there was any sort of relationship between them. When they reached middle school, the fights decreased, but never disappeared. In a way, people perceived their constant bickering as the main driver of their relationship. They _needed_ to fight. By middle school, the two had stopped giving death glares to anyone who commented on how they looked cute together. In fact, they became an official couple in the last year of middle school. They are now in their second year of high school, and they are still together. They have reached a point in their relationship where there's nothing new. Everything was routine, even the fighting.

That routine shattered on the last day of January.

It had been a particularly dreary day. The classes dragged on, the weather was sluggish, and the environment did not improve anyone's mood. Natsume was especially pissed that day because he got detention in three different classes. His friends were laughing at his misery, telling him he had it coming with the frequency with which he cut classes; nonetheless, Natsume deemed it unfair to be given three separate detentions in one day, and nothing was helping his mood.

Mikan was just as frustrated as Natsume was. She just received word that her grandfather had fallen ill again. He had been sick these past few months, and Mikan was devastated that she cannot visit her grandfather. The place was too far from the school she was staying in, and his grandfather insisted that she not take the long journey. Mikan got news last month that her grandfather had started feeling better, but something happened and now he's in a much worse condition. Mikan could do nothing but hope and pray that everything turned out fine.

It had been an unspoken rule for Mikan and Natsume to meet up after school. They would wait for each other in front of their homeroom classroom and go to the nearby playground inside the school. Alice Academy is a big school. To say it is big is an understatement, really. The whole academy is practically its own city. It can function well enough without help from outside. It has its own hospital, recreational park, theme park, mall, cinema, shopping district and other infrastructures you find in a typical city. Mikan and Natsume had been going to the playground and sitting on swings every day after class since middle school. They would talk until the sun sets, and then they'd find a place to eat and finally go back to their dorms.

This time, however, Natsume never showed up.

Mikan had wanted to talk to him all afternoon. She wanted someone to cry on. She wanted her boyfriend. Mikan was never the clingy type of girl, but Natsume knew how much she loved her grandfather. They'd even met once, and her grandfather really liked Natsume then. She could not talk to anyone about her grandfather's condition except for Natsume.

She waited outside the classroom. Natsume had to show up. They'd never missed going to the playground together. Maybe once or twice, but there was a reason, and they were both informed by the other if they couldn't go. The sun was setting but there was no sign of Natsume. Mikan checked her phone for messages. Empty. She decided to wait a few more minutes, at least until the sun fully sets. She ended up waiting for another hour. When she checked her watch, it was almost seven in the evening. With a disappointed sigh, Mikan made her way to Natsume's dorm.

Natsume had been kept in detention until after six. He had been really annoyed about the whole thing that he immediately went to a video arcade to let loose some steam after his last teacher said it was free to leave. He was so infuriated that he forgot his appointment with Mikan. After playing, he got food from a nearby fast food chain to go and went back to his dorm room. He was just about to eat his chicken wing when a loud knocking came from the door. Deeply annoyed, Natsume stood up and opened the door.

"What are you doing here, Mikan?"

Standing outside was his girlfriend. He gave her another inquisitive look before he remembered their meeting. He quickly let her in and started apologizing.

"It's been a bad day, I forgot about it."

Mikan just sighed and sat on the couch. She waved her hand unnecessarily. "It's no big deal. I just wished you contacted me, that's all. Are you okay?"

"Why wouldn't I be?"

Mikan looked at Natsume. He was quieter than usual. His "apology" from before felt off. It was like he was distracted or something. Normally when Natsume was sorry, he say so while looking into her eyes, making her believe his sincerity. Come to think of it, he never did say he was sorry. "Well, because you're acting weird and all. And you forgot our appointment, which we do every day. It's kinda hard to forget that."

Natsume was still in a pretty bad mood and was not looking for a fight. "Can't we just drop it?" he said stiffly. "I really had a bad day today. And I already said I'm sorry so just stop."

"You didn't say you're sorry. You just said you forgot."

Natsume was getting more and more irritated by the moment.

"Fine. I'm sorry. Happy?"

Mikan let out an exasperated sigh. She wanted to see him. She wanted to talk to him. Was that too much to ask? Why today, of all days, should he be like this?

Natsume went back to his seat and started eating. Mikan felt very uncomfortable sitting on the couch alone. Suffocated by the silence, she started ranting.

"Nah, it's alright. I mean, you have problems, I have problems. I don't blame you for being crabby or anything. I really just, you know, I wanted to see you. You remember my grandpa right? He's not feeling very well. I'm not really in the mood to say anything about it but you know. I kinda don't feel like being alone right now. So I went out here. I'm not expecting anything, I swear. I just, I don't really know, I'm just, sad. And mad. And every bit – "

She was cut off by the sound of a chair moving. Natsume had left his food and sat opposite her. He seemed really furious. "Please, Mikan, for the love of God, stop talking. I have been telling you, I am not feeling good right now. This day has sucked very, very badly, and the last thing I want to do right now is be disturbed by your incoherent ranting. Please, let me eat in peace."

Mikan stared at him, open mouthed. She was not expecting this reaction from him. He was mad; she knew that, because she was every bit as annoyed as he is right now. But why did he have to take it out on her? She was getting very, very repulsed by his constant insensitivity. Most days she would let it slide, say sorry and forget about it, but that was not gonna happen. She is in emotional pain, and she would not stand by what he said.

"Seriously, what is wrong with you? I just wanted someone to talk to, geez! Why do you have to bite my head off? You are seriously freaking me out right now. Not to mention making me more mad than I already am. I don't have to take this."

She stood up, and Natsume didn't stop her. He just glared at her as he said, "God, you are such a drama queen. I said one thing. I can't deal with your drama right now; I am very, very pissed off. Why can't we just sit here and be quiet and enjoy each other's company? You already have me, someone any girl would kill to have, why do you ask for so much more?"

Mikan was already seeing red. "Are you implying that I should just be thankful by the fact that you're my boyfriend and meekly accept your rude behavior? You're so full of yourself! No way in hell will I enjoy company like yours, you ass!"

Mikan walked to the door. She heard Natsume scoff behind her. "So what, you're gonna run away?" She turned and faced him.

"I'm not running away. This fight is not worth my time. Not now, most especially. Your insensitivity has gone too far this time. I don't have to stay here and listen. I need to cool off. Don't call me." She was about to open the door when Natsume slammed his left hand on it. She didn't even realize he had left his seat. She turned to look at her. His eyes flared with anger.

"Don't think you can find another one like me. Don't bother waiting for a call, you won't get one. You'll see, by the end of the week, you'll come crawling back to me."

"We'll see about that," Mikan said quietly. After a few more minutes of staring contest, Natsume finally stepped away from her. Mikan opened the door and left, not glancing back even once.


	2. Chapter 2

_Disclaimer: I do not own Alice Academy._

**CHAPTER TWO**

Rumors about Mikan and Natsume's quarrel spread around the school like wildfire. Everyone was speculating. Some were saying it wasn't true. Some were saying they already broke up. One thing was for sure: Mikan and Natsume were never seen together for the past week. A lot of Natsume fan girls took this chance and surrounded Natsume for most of the week. Natsume looked awfully bored with the old fan girls drama, but he did not shoo them away. He wanted to get back at Mikan for walking out on him. He was so sure that she was just having girl problems or something like that. He was so sure that by the end of the week, Mikan would get fed up with all the girls parading themselves in front of him and she will finally go back to him.

He was dead wrong.

Mikan was every bit as mad as he was. Natsume had been nothing but rude to him that night. She was simply seeking comfort from the person she loved. She did not understand what was so wrong, what was so difficult with that. Can she not be selfish for once and ask Natsume to spoil her like a boyfriend would? Especially with the crisis she's facing, all the more should he be the one making amends. Mikan was determined to win this fight. No matter how much she wanted to strangle all of Natsume's fan girls.

The couple's friends were starting to get worried when a week had passed. Nogi Ruka, Natsume's best friend, and Imai Hotaru, Mikan's best friend, decided to talk to the two.

"Stop being a prick and apologize to her already!" Ruka said.

Ruka decided to corner Natsume after their afternoon P.E. class. He was very worried about his friend. Without Mikan around, Natsume was slowly going back to his rude, arrogant previous self, and he did not like that. He had known Natsume forever. They had been the closest of friends ever since elementary. Before Natsume met Mikan, he was insufferable towards other people. Only Ruka knew his good side. Mikan changed that hateful exterior, and Ruka's forever grateful to her for that. That's why he wanted the two to make up as soon as possible.

Natsume looked at Ruka pointedly. "I will not apologize. She was the one who went ballistic. She was the one who left."

"Did you even listen to what she said?"

"No of course not, don't kid yourself. I'm sure it's just one of those useless, trivial problems she always have."

Ruka wanted to punch his best friend for his stupidity and his insensitivity. "What if it's not? What if she really needed you? You don't even know the problem. How can you be so sure?"

Natsume was getting tired of the interrogation. "Let me go, Ruka. I don't like your tone, or the point you're driving at. I did not say anything to her. She just went full on crazy. It's not my fault."

Ruka glared at Natsume. "It is your fault. It's your fault for not listening. It's your fault for wallowing in your own issues. You're the one that's trivial, Natsume. Just because you got your ass handed to you by your teachers you had to be a jerk to a girl who genuinely cares for you."

Ruka finally walked away from Natsume. He left him to think on his own, but not without leaving some advice.

"If you seriously do not see where you did wrong this time, you are never getting her back."

"Stop resisting. Your eyes scream bloody murder every time you see a girl get close to him. Just give this up, like every other fight you've had."

Hotaru was sitting next to Mikan in their dorm room's living room couch. She and Mikan had been roommates since elementary. They were, as Mikan crassly puts it, best friends. She did not like such words of endearment, but coming from Mikan, Hotaru could not help but smile at times. Mikan had liked her enough as a friend to chase after her. Mikan and Hotaru knew each other previously at a different school, but Hotaru had to transfer. Mikan persuaded her grandfather to let her study at the same school that Hotaru does. They've been together ever since.

"This is Hyuuga Natsume we're talking about. He's always been, and will always be, an apathetic bastard. Why you like him is beyond my comprehension, really."

Mikan, despite being low on energy from tiring herself out cursing Natsume the entire week, managed to defend him still. "Don't talk about him like that! He's actually really nice. If he's not being an asshole, that is." Mikan hugged her knees and went back to cursing Natsume.

Hotaru sighed and patted Mikan's back. "You can't change him, you know that. It's been a week; can you really last? You'll cave sooner or later, so better do it sooner. Less trouble for you, him, and most especially, for me."

Mikan just screamed in frustration. "You don't understand. I can't let it pass this time. I get it he was also having a pretty bad day, but… this is my grandfather, Hotaru! You remember him, right? I wanted, so bad, to talk to him about my grandfather's condition. But he threw all that out the window by being a despicable jerk. I can't forgive him for that. He abandoned me during a time I needed him most. He's not gonna get his way this time."

"You know I support you, Mikan. I can't say you're not entirely faultless, you know."

Mikan looked at her at that comment. "Why not? I simply wanted to talk. What's so bad about that?"

Hotaru crinkled her nose at her friend. "You yourself said that you know he was having a bad day. Yet you forced yourself on him. It's like you don't know anything about him even though you've been dating for years. You know he is colder than Antarctica when he is pissed off. You were asking to be hurt."

Mikan wailed. "Whose side are you on, Hotaru?"

"Yours, of course. I'm just saying, both of you made and said things you didn't mean. So both of you should just apologize and get this thing done."

Mikan stood up and made a beeline for the refrigerator. "Not this time. He needs to apologize first."

Hotaru knew it was impossible to reason with someone as stubborn as her. "Just make sure you don't kill a fan girl before he does finally come to his senses and apologizes."

It was the start of the second week of Mikan and Natsume's cold war. Neither was relenting. Mikan pointedly ignored Natsume and Natsume always showed up with fan girls all around him to irritate Mikan. It was the same scene at homeroom. Ruka and Hotaru exchanged knowing looks and shook their heads at the same time.

The students hushed when the homeroom teacher entered. Mr. Narumi was beaming. The students knew something big was coming. Mr. Narumi waited for everyone to settle down, all the while smiling radiantly. When everyone was seated, Mr. Narumi cleared his throat and started his announcement.

"Good morning everyone! Nice of you to be attending my class today! To those who seldom do, you chose the right time to attend, that I can say! Ladies and gentlemen, we have a transfer student!"

The classroom filled with the chattering of the students. A transfer student at the start of February was very weird. Mr. Narumi continued his speech. "He will only be here until the end of term, which is a month, give or take. His family had to change residences abruptly. His parents did not want him to miss his last month in school, because it will mean he will have to repeat his second year. So he will be spending his last month here with us. Please welcome him warmly, everyone!"

The class cheered as Mr. Narumi asked the newcomer to come in. he was of average height, for a guy; he had messy brown hair and matching brown eyes. He wore black rimmed glasses that made him look smarter than he actually was. He had a slender build, but he did not look fragile. He was handsome, the kind of handsome that will make you proud if he was your boyfriend. He was not as drop dead gorgeous as the resident hunk of the school was (Natsume), but he could easily compete for second place. He had a sheepish smile on his face, as if he was caught doing something he shouldn't have – that something was probably transferring during the last month of school. He wrote his name on the board and promptly introduced himself.

"It is a huge pleasure to meet all of you. My name is Agata Kyousuke. Please call me Kyousuke, with what little time we will know each other. As you might already have heard from Mr. Narumi, I will only be here for a month because my parents do not want me to repeat. I hope that you will still accept my invitation to be a friend to you despite the short time that I will be staying here. Thank you very much."

Mr. Narumi clapped as he made his way beside Kyousuke. "Thank you for the introduction, Kyousuke. Let's see, you will be sitting… Mikan, what's with that weird look on your face?"

All eyes turned to Mikan. She was currently looking at the new comer with surprised eyes and an open mouth. Natsume took notice of this as well, and scowled deeply. His scowl was not lost to Ruka, but Mikan did not notice. She just kept staring at the transfer student.

"Mikan…?" Mr. Narumi quizzically asked. Mikan proceeded to scream.

"Kyou! Is that you? Hotaru, look, it's Kyou!"

Kyousuke smiled broadly as he made his way to Mikan's desk. Every pair of eyes followed him as he walked and as he stopped in front of Mikan, who was looking at him with eagerness and fondness. One particular set of eyes, crimson ones, looked like he was trying to kill the transfer student with his glare.

"It's been a while, Mikan. I hope you're doing well."


	3. Chapter 3

_Disclaimer: I do not own Alice Academy._

**CHAPTER THREE**

When lunch break came, everyone in class swarmed Kyousuke and started asking questions. Everyone except Ruka, Natsume, Mikan and Hotaru. Mikan and Hotaru were sitting together; Ruka was looking anxiously outside the window; Natsume was nowhere to be found.

"Don't you remember Kyou, Hotaru?"

"As I've told you countless times, the name rings a bell, but I am not very familiar with it."

"Kyou was our classmate back at the village! You two were never really friends though. But we were. He taught me how to make and fly kites! The last time I saw him was when I left my grandfather's place to go to this school. I never thought I'd see him again!"

Hotaru was starting to get irritated by her friend. She was easily getting distracted by this Agata Kyousuke person, and she did not like to see her happy, smiling face when she knew Mikan was still troubled inside.

"Need I remind you that you should focus on Hyuuga?" Mikan frowned at the mention of Natsume. Hotaru simply sighed. "If not that, you still have your grandfather's health issue to concern yourself. You get sidetracked too easily," she finished. Mikan's frown deepened. In the next instant, she was smiling again.

"I can ask Kyou! We lived in the same village, so he must have news of how my grandpa's doing!" Mikan chattered away excitedly, but Hotaru kept her face impassive. She was seeing a lot of problems right now. With the ways things were going, Mikan and Natsume will never make up. Which is a shame, because Natsume was starting to grow on her.

That afternoon, Kyousuke approached Mikan.

"Hi, Mikan!"

"Hi, Kyou! How's your first day?"

"It's pretty good. This school is humongous though. I think I'm gonna get lost a couple of times before I memorize it and with me only being here a month, I'm not sure that's possible."

Mikan grinned at her childhood friend. "Don't worry, it's easy."

Kyousuke chanced a look at Mikan. He smiled shyly at her. "I was wondering… could you, maybe, give me a tour of the campus?"

"I'd love too," Mikan said sweetly. Kyousuke looked relieved. "Well, this is a pretty big school, so let's get started!"

The duo went around the high school section of Alice Academy. Mikan showed Kyousuke the classrooms, the labs, the cafeteria, the clinic, the gym, and lastly, the library. It was still open by the time they got there so they decided to go in and rest for a while. They grabbed the table nearest the entrance. Mikan and Kyousuke were grinning at each other.

"It has been so much fun, Mikan. Thank you so much for taking the time."

"No worries. Glad I could help." Mikan flashed another smile across Kyousuke's direction. His heart skipped a beat. He took Mikan's leaving pretty hard when they were kids. He had a huge crush on her then, and when he saw her today, those feelings resurfaced. She was lovelier than he remembered, but that might be caused by the significant gap in time. Mikan was sitting across him, looking at the bookshelves on her right. The huge windows by the entrance allowed the rays of the setting sun to pass through, landing on Mikan's long, brown hair, making it shine. Mikan's eyes sparkled with delight. Kyousuke's heart skipped another beat. He took a fresh intake of breath and spoke up.

"Mikan..." She looked expectantly at his direction. His cheeks flamed. "You know, I used to have this big crush on you… seeing you today reminded me of the girl I used to like back when we were kids. You were still the same spunky, spirited, kind hearted girl I knew before… so I was thinking… is it okay if I… pursue you?"

Mikan's breath caught. Kyousuke caught her totally off guard. A sweeping declaration out of the blue was pretty shocking. Kyousuke was avoiding her eyes, but she could clearly see his cheeks and ears reddening. "Kyou.."

Kyousuke looked at Mikan when she called his name. She was smiling – a sad smile that broke his heart. He knew what was coming, but it did not make him feel any less bad. "I… I have a boyfriend, Hyuuga Natsume. He's our classmate, actually. Well, we're kind of… in a situation right now, if you can call it that, so we aren't necessarily on the best of terms…" Mikan met Kyousuke's gaze as she continued to speak. "But I love him. I love him with all my heart. I am truly flattered by your words, but I'm sorry. I'm spoken for."

Kyousuke felt stabbing pains in his chest. What did he expect, really? He had no news of Mikan ever since she left; it was obvious something would have changed, like her getting a boyfriend. He shook his head at the ridiculousness of everything that just transpired. A small laugh escaped his mouth.

"Don't worry about it, Mikan. I just wanted to put it out there. At least now, I know who to watch out for." Mikan smiled at that comment. "I hope we can still be friends, though. You're the sole person I truly know in this school."

"Of course. You can count on it."

Kyousuke looked outside. It was getting pretty dark.

"Let's go."

Natsume watched as Kyousuke and Mikan went out of the library, smiling at each other. Yes, he followed, not stalked, his girlfriend when he saw her leaving with another man. Seeing them right now made him want to punch the face of the newcomer off his face. He settled on clenching his fists so hard he scratched his palms. If Mikan was doing this on purpose, it was definitely working. Natsume had started giving icy glares at any woman who approached him, immediately fending off any fan girl. He felt sick with jealousy when he saw that new kid walk over to Mikan. As he silently followed the two out of the school, he felt a really big urge to strangle something. He settled for kicking the crap out of a trashcan he found across the street. The can made of steel looked like crumpled paper when Natsume walked away.

As the week went by, Mikan and Kyousuke spent more time together. Rumors started again, saying things really were over with her and Natsume and she had moved on. Kyousuke frowned at these rumors and continuously apologized to Mikan. Mikan said it was okay.

"After all, it's me who insists on coming with you. You have been with my grandpa all this time and I want to know how he's doing. The last thing I heard, his sickness got worse…"

Mikan had to stop walking to steady herself. Kyousuke rushed to her side with a worried look on his face. "It's okay, I'm fine," said Mikan. "So, how really is my grandpa?"

"He's sick, but coping. I think he's actually doing better now. The scare of his worsening condition might be because of the weather. It's increasingly getting colder, and your grandfather was never the type to like the cold. I do believe he's past that now."

"Really? That's great news! Thank you so, so much." Mikan smiled warmly at Kyousuke. The bell suddenly rang. "That's our cue. Let's head back to the room."

Kyousuke went ahead of Mikan. Mikan's head was floating in the clouds. Reassurance that her grandfather was doing fine made her feel giddy inside. She did not notice the shadow lurking behind her. It was too late for her to react when a hand grabbed her by the waist while another covered her mouth.

She struggled but it was no use. The person holding her was too strong. She felt the afternoon breeze hit her face, so she knew they were outside. She let herself be dragged, thinking that the moment her captor let her go, she'd make a run for it.

To her surprise, they arrived at the playground she and Natsume went to every afternoon. Of course. The grip on her loosened, and when she turned around it was –

"Natsume."


	4. Chapter 4

_Disclaimer: I do not own Alice Academy._

**CHAPTER FOUR**

The two stared each other for the longest time, Mikan, sitting on one of the swings, and Natsume, standing in front of her. Neither spoke. Bored of the wordless debate, Mikan moved; she appeared to be standing up from her swing. But she quickly jumped backwards and swung, her legs stretched in front of her. Natsume had no time to react to the girl whose feet were dangerously getting closer and closer to his stomach.

Thud. Natsume fell to the ground from the impact with Mikan's swing/kick. Cursing to himself, he stood up once more and faced Mikan.

"What do you want?" Mikan crossed her arms over her chest and glared at Natsume. He remained quiet for a few minutes, until he finally decided to speak.

"I want us to go back to normal. Be together again. This is killing me, Mikan, and I know it's killing you, too. Let's just forget this stupid fight and move on. Pleasse?"

Natsume's eyes were pleading. Mikan saw how much he had been hurting. She was hurting as well. But she had to stay firm. Otherwise, she knew, this fight will keep happening and happening again.

"Natsume, I love you. You know that. But please, try to be more sensitive. Apologize, and listen. That's all I ask."

"Haven't I said sorry with what I've just said?" Natsume asked incredulously. Mikan sighed.

"You never said you were. You just stated what you wanted from me."

"I'm sorry. There. Now please, let's get back together."

Mikan looked at Natsume and smiled sadly. She was being difficult, she knew. But… this was a fight she vowed to fight. She wasn't going to back down so easily.

"We were never apart, Natsume. We just had some differences. That's the thing. We never settle our differences, we just skip over them. I don't want to do that anymore. I love you, Natsume. In fact, I keep telling everyone who asks that you're the only boyfriend I have. But until you apologize to me sincerely, I can't start this again. It hurts me, Natsume. Your indifference hurts me. This is selfish of me, I know. But please. Try, for me. Please find it in your heart to apologize."

Natsume's face hardened. Mikan had to turn away as tears rolled down her cheek. She looked at Natsume once more, gave him another sad smile, and walked away.

"She walked away from me. Again. Why does she keep doing that?"

Natsume was lost. All he wanted was to get Mikan back. He did not understand what she wanted from him. He was starting to understand her words though. He really was insensitive if he couldn't even understand his own girlfriend's feelings.

Sitting beside him was Ruka. After his failed attempt to patch things up with Mikan, Natsume called Ruka to ask for advice. He really had lost it. He just wanted Mikan back.

"It's been hard on her too. Believe me. I live with her, so I know."

Together with Natsume and Ruka was Hotaru. They were all eating chips at Natsume and Ruka's dorm room. Ruka decided to invite Hotaru along because she knew Mikan better than anyone. This fact irked Natsume just a teensy bit, because it should be him who knew Mikan best. Well, given the pinch he was currently in, he really could not protest.

"Maybe she keeps walking away because there's something else you haven't done," Ruka said.

"Well if that isn't cryptic I don't know what is," Natsme replied angrily.

"Okay, chill. Look, you love her. Right? And she loves you. This will work out. It just has to," Ruka said calmly to Natsume. "Have you even figured out why she's mad?"

Natsume thought about their previous fights. "Well for one, she wants me to apologize truthfully. For another… something about being more sensitive or something like that."

Hotaru took a bottle of water and chugged it down all at once. "She wanted to talk to you about her grandfather. She got news that he was in a bad condition. She was looking for comfort," Hotaru said, looking at Natsume, "in you. Weird, I know. But she trusts you."

Natsume's face was grim. He did not expect that to be the answer to the question. He was so sure she was blabbing about something insignificant.

"It is my fault. For being an unhearing, indifferent jerk," Natsume finally said.

Ruka placed a hand on Natsume's shoulder, trying to reassure him. "Now that you know the reason, it will be easier to act, right?"

Hotaru shrugged and looked at Natsume once again. "Nogi's right. What you do with this information is up to you. Just make sure it's worth it. For the record, while you had your mistakes, this was not entirely your fault. I told Mikan this as well. You were angry that night. She shouldn't have pushed it."

"But still, let her have her way just this once," Ruka continued. "Just be the bigger man."

Natsume just listened to the words of the two. He really needed to do something, quick. It had been two weeks of this fight. However the two tried to say it, this one clearly was his fault. He would do whatever he could to fix his own mistakes.

Natsume looked at both Ruka and Hotaru with determination. Ruka was glad. He knew this time around, Natsume will succeed in winning Mikan back. Hotaru's face did not betray her emotions, but her lips were ever so slightly turning upwards.

It was the start of the week. Of all days, it had to be the day before Valentine's Day. Mikan sulked whenever she heard girls talk about making chocolate and confessing love. She wondered if she should make one for Natsume. She had been giving him chocolate every single year since elementary. Plus, she really did want to. Even with the current situation, she wanted to give Natsume her handmade chocolate. It just felt… wrong not to do it.

Mikan did not see Natsume the whole day. He cut all his classes. Mikan asked around, but even his best friend Ruka did not know where he was. Mikan was worried, but was also relieved. After the incident last week at the playground, she wasn't really sure how she'd face him. Granted, they'd been ignoring each other for two weeks now, but that did not mean she never stole quick glances of him. She decided not to dwell on it; tomorrow, she would find him, by hook or by crook.

It was the 14th of February. Mikan was very nervous. Deep inside her bag was a beautifully wrapped box filled with dark chocolate she made last night. Homeroom came. Natsume wasn't in.

A huge sigh of disappointment escaped Mikan's lips. She started doubting her actions as of late. She missed him so, so badly. She wanted to spend this day dedicated to love with him. Even if it meant giving up again, she would be willing do it, if only she can see Natsume. The past two weeks had been very long and very tiring. Mikan was reaching her limit.

The morning passed uneventfully. Mikan gave to and received chocolates from her girl friends. She even bought a chocolate snack for Kyou. But one final box of chocolates remained in her bag, and she was dying to give it.

She did not have any appetite for lunch. The rest of the class went out to buy food. Mikan was left alone in the classroom. She looked at all the empty chairs and sighed softly to herself. She decided to rest for a little bit. She was just about to close her eyes when a deep voice spoke.

"How long are you gonna stay there? Let's eat."

Standing at the doorway was Natsume. He was as handsome as ever. He had one of his hands in his pocket and the other one was hidden. Mikan immediately noticed.

"What are you hiding behind your back?" Mikan asked suspiciously.

Without saying a word, Natsume walked over to Mikan. He pulled a nearby chair and sat facing her. They stared at each other eyes for quite a while. Natsume finally broke eye contact and looked outside the window. Mikan waited.

"I give up. I can't do this anymore, Mikan. I can't stand not being with you. I miss you so much. Seeing you for the last week with that Agata was hell. I just want us to be together again. I want you. I need you, Mikan."

Natsume looked at her. He pulled out his hand from behind his back and offered Mikan a dozen red roses. Mikan smiled and took it. She was about to smell the roses when she realized that they were all made of paper. Each and every rose, plus the leaves, plus the stems were made of paper. The bouquet could have fooled anyone, it looked so real.

"Took me all day yesterday until this morning to finish," Natsume answered to her questioning look. "I know this is not much to make up to what I did to you two weeks ago, but this is my way of showing you that I'm trying. I will try. I will try my best to be a good listener and not be a jerk to you. I love you, Mikan. And I'm truly, truly sorry."

Tears were flowing down Mikan's cheeks before she even realized it. Natsume did not know how to react, but Mikan suddenly laughed.

"Natsume you idiot. I don't want you to change. I love you just the way you are. But making me feel special is making me really happy right now," Mikan said through her tears. She managed to flash a genuine smile towards Natsume. He couldn't take it anymore. He grabbed her hand and pulled her close, covering her body with his. He hugged her so tight, afraid to let her go again. Mikan's face softened.

"Thank you, Natsume." Mikan broke free from Natsume's embrace and went to her bag. She pulled out the chocolates she made for Natsume and handed it to him.

"Happy Valentine's day."


End file.
